The House Of Hammer
by Mecha74
Summary: In the year 1872, Abby finds herself a prisoner of Baron Victor Frankenstein as a pawn in yet another of his wicked experiments along with several other monsters. Can she escape his clutches before his evil plans come to fruition?


Editor's note: I know that this could technically be considered a crossover, but since LMI is a Hammer film and all of the characters in this story are also from various Hammer films I decided to go ahead and post it here since there isn't a Hammer horror category.

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THE HOUSE OF HAMMER

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X

Sometime in 1872.

Somewhere in Berkshire England.

Within the halls of a dark foreboding fortress two sinister individuals briskly walked down a circular staircase towards the lower levels of the manor that they currently resided and worked in. One was aged with silver hair, wearing a short brown frock coat and tweed trousers. Upon his face were a pair of spectacles. He was accompanied by a younger man of significant physical stature in a dark blue ditto suit and woolen breech pants. Their outward appearance proposed a rather stark contrast to their surroundings. Once they had reached the bottom of the winding stairs the older man took the lead as they proceeded towards a heavy iron door at the far end of a hall. Arriving at the door the senior of the two produced a key that unlocked said door as it opened slowly with an eerie creaking sound. They walked into what appeared to be a dungeon of some sort fashioned from stone. Twas another long corridor that now stretched out before them. On one side were cells with iron bars, while on the other were mounted torches that illuminated the otherwise dark and dreary chamber. As they walked up to the first cell the eldest of the two finally spoke.

"This is where I keep the specimens. They are to remain locked up here at all times unless I need them for my work. Now pay close attention to what I say, is that understood, Adrian?"

"Yes Doctor Frankenstein."

The occupant of the first cell slowly lumbered forward letting a haunting moan, he was draped in a monk's robes and his face and hands showed signs of significant decay along with apparent burns.

"This is the zombie, the only surviving specimen that was created by an aboriginal cult that recently came here to England. They were all thought to be destroyed in a fire, but I found this one pinned beneath the rubble and wreckage of the oubliette that they had been kept in. Aside from its ability to function as a corpse it has no special abilities or weaknesses that differ from a normal human being." Frankenstein told him as they continued on to the next cell.

With a snake-like hiss a reptilian creature with a feminine build backed into one corner of her cell.

"This is the reptile woman, thought to have burned to death in a fire in Cornwall, but it managed to escape only to be paralyzed by the cold. She was one of the easiest to bring here. It has a highly venomous bite, strength seems to increase in warmer temps, obvious weakness is vulnerability to cold temperatures."

As they stepped over to the next cell it's dweller lunged with an insane howl as it attempted to reach through the bars to attack its captors. Startled by the lunge Adrian tripped backwards and fell, but Victor paid it no mind.

"This is the werewolf, my previous assistant was killed while trying to capture this one. Legends of this creature have persisted throughout Europe for some time, it was only a matter of time before I found one. Has incredible strength and healing abilities, only known weakness appears to be silver. When the full moon passes he returns to his human form."

The next cell's captive was the antithesis of the werewolf as it lie completely unmoving upon a table. On the table was an ancient mummy wrapped in bandages. If standing upright he would have been well over six feet tall.

"Good Lord." Frankenstein's new assistant muttered aloud.

"This is the mummy, Kharis. He was brought here a short time ago by an Egyptian priest looking to exact revenge for the desecration of the mummy's tomb in Egypt. The priest was eventually killed and Kharis sunk into a swamp thought to be lost forever, but I salvaged him."

"I heard stories of this thing. Dangerous it is."

"Not in its current state. Without speaking the ancient texts that restore life and movement to its body it is nothing more than a corpse, but one that I can still study and learn from nonetheless. It is immortal , has tremendous strength, no known weaknesses."

The following cell was very different compared to previous ones, for it was completely enclosed, no iron bars, just solid walls and a wrought iron door instead.

"Here is where I keep the gorgon."

"Why is this cell sealed off?"

"Because the gaze of the gorgon alive or dead has the power to turn any living thing to stone. Ancient Greek legend tells of three gorgon sisters. They were Persephone, Megara, and Medusa. Myth tells us that Medusa was slain by the warrior Perseus, but which of the two remaining gorgons I have here I have yet to discern. Only known way to kill it is to behead it, but even then its gaze is still deadly."

"How did you manage to obtain this one?"

"A substantial amount of money paid to a trained monster hunter. That…and this." The doctor said pulling a vial out of his pocket containing a strange liquid.

"What is it?"

"A powerful sedative known as Curare, derived from a South American plant known as Strychnos toxifera. Archaic tribesmen used blowguns with darts tipped in it to hunt their prey. We have made use of it in a like-wise manner. The dosage we are using on these abnormalities would kill a full grown man easily but serve as nothing more than a tranquilizer for the specimens. When dealing with the gorgon you will fire a dart through this small slot in the door, pay heed to where her body falls after she is rendered unconscious, for you will have to enter the cell blindfolded for your own safety when taking samples from her."

"I see." The assistant spoke as they stepped up to yet another cell.

"And here is our most recent acquisition. I managed to apprehend this one myself."

"But…it looks to be nothing more than a young child."

"Do not let her innocent looking exterior fool you. She may have the appearance of a twelve year old girl, but what you are looking upon is actually a vampire. I followed a string of recent murders in the area involving murderers and thieves and other unsavory sorts that eventually led me right to her. It would seem that she was governed by some manner of self-righteous inclination that dictated who she fed upon. Targeting the dregs of society as it were."

"Why is she covered in blood?" Adrian asked taking notice of her deep red stained sundress.

"An odd tale that is. Though I am a man of science, working with these monsters has forced me to entertain certain supernatural possibilities. When I first tried to bring her through the front doors she began to bleed profusely. As a result she came out of her unconciousness and began screaming as she sprang from my arms. I then remembered the old legend that dictates that a vampire can not enter a person's home uninvited. As soon as I spoke the invitation the bleeding stopped. But I had to pump two more darts into her to bring her down again before she could fully regain her senses. Possesses great physical strength, healing, speed, agility, hyperactive sensory perception and can even fly. Weaknesses are sunlight, and an aversion to holy implements such as crosses and holy water. Can also be killed via beheading and with a wooden stake through the heart."

"And the purpose of all this?"

"As you know my experiments have dealt with the process of creating life from death, but I have often met with failure. These creatures possess abilities that will finally give me what I need to succeed. Strength, healing, enhanced senses, immortality, just to name a few."

"What if outsiders were to learn of this place, or what we are doing here?"

"That will not happen if we are cautious. Do not let potential fears worry you. Try to focus on our work and what we will accomplish. Your own amateur fledgling experiments at one time mirrored my own, and we shall prove all those who scoffed at us and call us mad wrong, you have my word. This time, we will succeed." The Baron swore before turning and leaving with his companion following close behind.

"I wouldn't think that you would remain in England after everything that has happened doctor. You have become the most despised man in the entire country. How many times have you supposedly died now? You've become quite the escape artist, John Maskelyne would be proud." Adrian put forth as they entered the laboratory.

"That does not concern me, only my work…our work matters." Frankenstein responded as he turned with a half smile to Adrian.

"I'm glad you corrected yourself there at the end doctor. I know that you've had many assistants over the years but I hope to be the most useful to you."

"We shall see Adrian, we shall see."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Abby awoke with a start, her head spinning as she abruptly sat up. She immediately regretted her sudden movement, a wave of nausea came over her as she practically fell back over again. As she lie there she let her eyes do the moving for her as her vision began to clear. She appeared to be in a cell of some kind. On the floor beneath her was a bed of straw, to her left were iron bars with the remaining three sides of her enclosure fashioned from stone. There was momentary confusion, but a few moments later everything came back to her.

She had been stalking a potential victim, a serial rapist. She was following after him through a cemetery. He turned a corner round a mausoleum and she followed, but was confronted by someone else who then held up a strange looking pole. Before she could register what was happening she was hit with something that made her fall asleep, that was the last thing she could recall.

But what had happened? Where was she now?

Abby sat back up but slower this time. She got to her feet and moved towards the iron bars as she gripped them tight. With her vampire strength it would be a simple matter to bend them and then esca-…but wait…something was wrong. As she pulled upon them she discovered that they were not bending. For reasons she could not understand, she was not at full strength. She peered out through the bars as best she could, it looked as if she were in a dungeon of some sort, dimly lit with torches mounted along the walls. She attempted to utilize her vampire senses but they seemed somehow diminished as well. Perhaps whatever she had been put to sleep with was still affecting her in some fashion. Nevertheless she tried. Despite her weakness she could detect the scents of other strange creatures around her. She couldn't tell what exactly they were, but she knew enough to know that whatever they were, they were not human. But then she gasped as she looked down finally realizing that she was covered in dried blood, it would seem that she was at first brought in here without being invited in, but that had been quickly remedied thankfully, otherwise she may have never awakened. Just then she heard the sound of an opening door followed by footsteps.

Adrian then walked by stopping for a moment to regard Abby.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Who I am isn't important to the likes of you."

"Please let me go."

"Not likely, I know what you are. Hard to believe that a precious little thing like you has been ripping out throats and has enough strength to tear a full grown man apart."

"Please, I beg you."

"Not going to happen." He said dismissing her as he continued past her to a different cell.

But he was unprepared for a sudden lunge from whatever unspeakable horror resided in the cell he had stepped up to as a hideous malformed hand grabbed hold of his coat collar through the bars. In the struggle he dropped the key he had brought with him as it slid across the floor towards Abby's cell. In the meantime Adrian managed to use the same blowgun that Frankenstein had used to put the attacking fiend down. After it had collapsed and he was sure it was safe to enter, he went inside and took a tissue sample from the beast. He then stepped back out and walked over to where the key had fallen, glaring at Abby briefly before relocking the cell he had just been in. But when he turned back around Abby's cell door was wide open and she was racing down the hall.

"No!" Adrian yelled giving chase.

Victor was just as surprised when Abby suddenly burst through into the lab as the small vampire rushed by him.

"What the devil? Adrian!"

Abby bolted out the main gate and into the night as both Victor and Adrian ran out after her. She decided to chance a flight in an attempt to elude her abductors as she took off into the sky. She quickly discovered however that the normally graceful prowess that benefited her was not with her this night as she veered wobbly this and way and that through the air barely being able to control herself.

Adrian leveled the dart gun at her carefully as she flew off, and just before she swooped down behind some tree cover he fired off a shot but missed. It hardly mattered however, the neurotoxin that was still in her system was taking its toll. Once again she had overexerted herself too quickly as she began to lose altitude crashing through several tree branches in a blind daze. But still she powered through flying as hard and as fast as she could under the circumstances, eventually she flew beyond their sight.

"Damn!" Victor cursed, "What happened?" He asked Adrian angrily.

"I was struggling with one of the other creatures downstairs and dropped my key in the process. She must have grabbed it and used it."

"Go! Find her!"

"Of what consequence is her escape? You already collected several blood and tissue samples did you not? What more do you need?"

"You fool! If the local villagers spot her and see that she came from this direction they'll believe a new vampire nest has taken root and come in masse to burn this place to the ground! Now go! Put an end to her and do not return until you have, is that clear?"

"Yes doctor."

Meanwhile a semiconscious Abby finally succumbed to her hindered condition as she plummeted to the earth below. Blackness took her before the ground had a chance to rush up and greet her with a brutal embrace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Abby had no idea what she would find when she awoke, or if she ever would again, but what she did end up seeing was a surprise to say the least.

"Hello? Hello?" A faint voice said as her eyes slowly fluttered open only to see nothing but strange blobs and odd shapes.

Finally though her vision cleared as she looked up to see what appeared to be small child, a little girl to be exact, who couldn't have been more than five. She had wavy auburn hair similar to Abby's and was in navy colored dress. Abby looked around herself and became aware that she was in a bedroom of sorts. A brief moment of panic overtook her as she suddenly found herself wondering if she had been invited in, but looked down to see that her clothes had no more blood upon them than what she had before. A familiar question entered her mind...where was she now?

"Mama! Mama! She's awake, the little angel's awake!" The child shouted scampering out the door of the bedroom.

_"Little angel?" _Abby thought with bewilderment as the girl then returned with whom Abby presumed was her mother, a pretty brunette haired woman in a red dress and white blouse that had the countenance of someone in their mid thirties.

"Why hello, I see you are finally awake. You had us worried for a while." The older woman told her.

"Whe-where am I?" Abby asked, still somewhat groggy from the drug coursing through her system.

"You are in the upstairs loft of the Laughing Dragon tavern on the outskirts of the village of Windsor. This is where I sometimes sleep after a hard day's work and I find myself too tired to make the walk home."

_"A pub? It made sense now, that's why she didn't need an invitation." _Abby comprehended.

"How do you feel?" The woman asked.

"Still groggy."

"Do you need some water or some food perhaps?"

"N-no. I'm fine thanks. Who are you?" Abby questioned.

"I am Esmeralda, barmaid of the green dragon and this is my daughter Penelope."

"Mama? Is the little angel going to be okay now?" The child asked.

"Why does she keep calling me that?" Abby inquired as Esmeralda let out a slight laugh.

"Well, I know this is going to sound silly but my daughter swears to me that she saw you fall out of the sky outside," She said with another chuckle, "Ah how I love my little Penelope, she has such a wondrous imagination."

"I see."

"She's been doting on you like a nursemaid ever since we brought you up here and has barely left your side." Esmeralda explained as she looked down at her suddenly very bashful daughter who hid behind her mother with a slight blush.

"Thank you." Abby said as Penelope's face reddened all the more.

"I think she likes you." Her mother observed.

"What? Me?"

"Well, there aren't any other children around these parts and I know that she tends to get dreadfully lonesome sometimes. Speaking of which, do you live around here?"

"Um, no."

"Hmmm, well I've been asking around downstairs to no avail, I was hoping that you could tell me more. What happened to you? How did you end up where we found you?"

"I uh…don't remember." Abby lied regretfully.

She hated doing that, especially with people who were actually trying to help her, but the less they knew about her the better she figured.

"Goodness gracious. Well lets hope that your memory returns to you soon so that we can figure out where you belong. You can stay the night here, you obviously need the rest."

"No!" Abby blurted out as she tried to sit up only to watch the room start spinning around her as she toppled back over.

"See, you're in no shape to be going anywhere, and besides it's no trouble at all." Esmeralda said as she started to turn to leave, "I'll be back to check on you again soon, in the meantime, Penelope will keep an eye on you." She finished as she headed back downstairs.

After she left Penelope began to stare at her long and hard in a manner that only a curious child could, it made Abby feel somewhat awkward, she didn't like being stared at.

"Did it hurt?" The child asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Did it hurt?" She asked again more assertively.

"Did what hurt?"

"When you fell from Heaven?"

"Penelope, I'm afraid you're wrong about me, I didn't fall from Heaven."

"But I saw you flying, you are an angel aren't you? You have to be."

"No."

"Then what are you?" The girl asked as Abby turned her head on the pillow looking away from her.

"I'm…something else."

Downstairs…

"You say you're looking for a little girl?" The bar owner spoke.

Adrian had just arrived at the local saloon, hoping that someone may have spotted the child vampire without necessarily knowing what she was. The man with whom he was speaking was one Tom Bailey, a middle aged man with short dark hair and a mutton chop beard. When Adrian had first entered, all activity in the alehouse had ceased. Residents here didn't take too kindly to strangers, and had a habit of making them feel unwelcome. But once the beautiful Esmeralda danced by with a tray full of brews they seemed to forget all about the drifter.

"Yes, she is my daughter, she ran away from home I'm afraid, she is rather rebellious and headstrong for her age." Adrian lied convincingly.

"Well I'd say that you're in luck stranger. Esmeralda!"

"Yes?" She replied rushing over from across the room with her now empty tray in her hands.

"That young girl that you found outside and took upstairs?"

"What about her?"

"This is her father, he has come to collect her, apparently she's a runaway. Would you be kind enough to escort him upstairs?" The barkeep said as he looked back at Adrian.

"Oh thank heavens, of course I would." Esmeralda answered with great relief.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

When they reached the top of the steps and Adrian saw Abby lying upon the bed he quickly drew his sword.

"What are you doing?" Esmeralda asked as Abby sat up.

"Time to die little leech." Adrian hissed.

"What in God's name?" Esmeralda blurted out as Adrian lunged forward swinging the sword.

Abby barely dodged in time rolling off the bed as the blade sliced the pillow in two sending a flurry of feathers into the air.

"Mommy!" Penelope cried out in a mixture of fear and confusion.

Esmeralda rushed over to her daughter as Adrian went on the attack yet again with another wild swing meant to behead her. Abby ducked it but with allot less speed than she normally would. But she didn't avoid a stiff kick to the face that sent her falling backwards upon the floor. He heaved back for another swing but was suddenly hammered from behind with a broomstick by Esmeralda.

"Don't you dare hurt her you monster!"

"Fool woman!" He scowled backhanding her away, "She isn't a mere child, she's a vampire!"

Just then experiencing a brief surge of adrenaline, Abby bounded forward tackling Adrian into a wall with a vicious snarl. She firmly gripped the sides of his head in an attempt to crush it, but the strength just was not there. He then planted both of his feet hard into her torso knocking her away as her head collided with the bed's headboard stunning the already disoriented vampire for a moment as he sprang back up.

But before he could capitalize on the maneuver Esmeralda tried to grab his sword arm.

"Let go wench!" He spat pushing her against the wall as he drew his weapon back, "I should kill you just for getting in my way!"

But at the last second as he thrust the saber forward little Penelope threw herself into its path. It slid into her as if she were made of warm butter.

"Penelope!" Esmeralda screamed.

Adrian meanwhile was just as shocked, he was no stranger to murder or violence, but he had never harmed or killed a child before. He backed away as his scimitar pulled out of her, understandably shocked at his own actions. But in his moment of distraction he was unaware of a shadow looming up behind him with a pair of glowing eyes.

Before he even knew what was happening Abby was upon him, her teeth buried deep in his neck as she latched onto his back. He screamed and struggled in a panic but found himself unable to pry her off. As she drank deeply she could feel her full strength returning and the poison that she had been afflicted with being purged from her body. Eventually Adrian collapsed as Abby continued to feed, his once strong and virile protests having now been reduced to weak kicks and twitches as the last of the life sustaining fluid was drained from his frame.

When Abby was finally finished she placed her hands on the sides of Adrian's head and gave it a sharp twist breaking his neck. As she slowly stood back up Esmeralda looked on with utter horror.

"Oh my God." She muttered.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"He-he was right, you are a vampire!"

Abby then shifted her gaze down to Penelope's lifeless form.

"Is she?"

Esmeralda's only response was to begin to sob, her beautiful daughter was indeed dead.

Abby felt herself growing angry, she knew she was partially to blame for this, but she also knew where the blame truly lied.

"Don't let them do anything with her body until I get back." Abby said.

"What?" Esmeralda responded with bewilderment as Abby turned away, she could hear footsteps racing up the stairs…guess there was only one way to go. With all of her renewed strength Abby smashed up through the roof of the tavern and up into the night sky…she was heading back to Frankenstein's castle.

It was then that Tom appeared in the doorway with several of the bar's patrons behind him. They all gasped at the aftermath of the carnage.

"Merciful heaven, what happened here?" He spoke with considerable alarm.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And at that very moment, back at the castle…

Dr. Frankenstein had just thrown the switch of his ungodly contraption that would he hoped bring life to his creation. The sounds of charging electrodes, bubbling chemicals and all manner of mechanical clattering and caterwauling filled the laboratory. A device as warped and unholy as the mind that had crafted it and incomprehensible to all but he.

Meanwhile down below, in the cell that contained the body of Kharis, the ancient Egyptian cadaver began to stir, proving that it was not nearly as dead as Frankenstein would have liked to believe. It took but an instant to take in its surroundings as it rose up and then shuffled forward. With little effort it tore down the cell bars before it. The doctor would have heard the commotion if not for the noise being generated in his lab at that very moment. But the mummy wasn't the only creature stirring. The werewolf had regained much of its strength. It required regimented doses of Curare to keep it in check, but the demented doctor had been so caught up in his experiment upstairs that he had lost track of time. And watching Kharis walk by its cell only served to further agitate the lycanthrope as it pushed and pulled at its restraints with a savage fury. Furthermore, when the mummy had broken free of its containment, it had done significant damage to the cell next to it…which contained the gorgon.

Back in the lab the mad doctor watched carefully as he began to see the faintest first signs of life in his handiwork, thusly he shut down the machine. It slowly sat up from the slab that it rested upon, being too hideous to even begin to describe. As it came fully around and began to take in its surroundings it looked down at its own hands, its expression a mixture of mortification and befuddlement.

"Welcome back to the world of the living Professor Bronston." Victor proclaimed with almost ghoulish pride.

Professor Bronston was a recently deceased physicist who had died but days ago, Victor had been eyeing his tomb like a hungry hawk ever since.

Then…he began to speak.

"L…li…liiiiffffeeee. I…I…liiiivvveee."

"Yes, thanks to my genius." Frankenstein touted.

"Wh-who…are…you?" It said turning its head as its speech patterns began to become more coordinated.

"I am Doctor Victor Frankenstein."

"Frank-en-stein?"

"Yes."

"What…have you done?" He asked as he slowly slipped off the table and stood upright at well over six feet tall.

"Created life from death! That is what I have done!"

"No…no this cannot be. This isn't right. I was…dead."

"No longer."

"You have spat in the face of God!"

"Oh please professor! We are men of science, we are not slaves to petty religious superstition."

"What have you done to me?"

"What have I done? I've given you a miraculous gift! You were once a dying frail old man! Now you possess incredible strength, healing and immortality! Culled from the genetic material of various superhuman beings to create the ultimate life form!" Victor boasted as Bronston slowly picked up a metal tray meant for surgical tools and gazed at his reflection in it…he did not recognize what was there, and more so…what he saw horrified him.

"Gift! GIFT?" He bellowed as he threw the tray down, "You wrenched me from God's kingdom and transformed me into a MONSTER!" Bronston screamed as he turned and smashed the table he had been resting upon in two with his bare hands.

"Please professor, calm yourself! There will be a need for adjustment of course, but what you have gained is far greater than what you have…what's wrong?" Frankenstein asked as he watched Bronston clutch at the sides of his own head as if he were in great pain.

"Something…is…wrong." He stammered as he fell to his knees.

What neither of them realized was that the professor's will was being suffocated by that of the murderous creatures that he had been amalgamated with. His mind was simply too weak to resist them, and with an inhuman wail his brain transformed into primordial jelly. Professor Bronston was once again for all intents and purposes dead…now only the monster remained. As it stood back up Victor could see it in it's eyes as it started to walk towards him with its arms outstretched.

"No, no! Stay away!" Frankenstein bellowed as he turned to flee only to be confronted by another abomination…the mummy Kharis.

"Impossible!" The mad doctor shrieked in disbelief.

He leapt aside as Kharis reached for him, but once the two behemoths locked eyes with one another they both decided that they were the greatest mutual threat to one another as they lumbered towards each other.

As the two giants clashed Victor made a beeline for the main gate, but something cut him off before he got there. A tiny form came crashing through a window to his right, Abby.

"You!" He exclaimed taking a step back, "Where is Adrian?"

"As dead as you're going to be.", She snarled in a demonic voice, "A child is dead because of you, now it's your turn." She threatened.

But before she could pounce upon him something else barreled into her, the werewolf, it had finally smashed its way out of the dungeon. Frankenstein rushed past them to the gate as another battle ensued. Meanwhile Frankenstein's monster and Kharis smashed through one wall after another destroying everything in their path as they fought. And as Abby and the werewolf tore into one another, several chemicals were knocked the floor as glass shattered and the volatile elements started a fire in the lab. Abby and the werewolf ripped deep gashes into each other's flesh, but as they separated and circled one another their wounds healed almost instantly. The fight between them could've went on all night if not for the intervention of another monster. The werewolf suddenly stopped in its tracks and lifted its head up as if looking past Abby, or more to the point behind her. It then managed to let out one final howl before abruptly turning to stone. It then fell over and shattered into several pieces upon the floor. Abby then became aware of a shadow looming up behind her, after what had happened to the werewolf she knew full well what it was. She could hear the hissing of snakes as it drew ever closer.

Abby was terrified, she had no desire to end up as the werewolf. If she were still capable of biological functions her bladder would have released at that very moment. Though she had never encountered one before, Abby knew well the legend of the Gorgon and what it could do. She only had one chance for survival. She closed her eyes tight as she let her other senses work for her. The footsteps told her that it was now standing directly behind her, she could suddenly feel a powerful psychic presence within her mind telling her to turn around and face the gorgon, but she resisted. Her leg muscles coiled as she waited for the last possible moment to strike. She then spun around leaping simultaneously as one swipe of her right hand beheaded the foul thing. The gorgon's headless body then toppled over.

Abby looked around for the baron but saw no sign of him, but before she could act the mummy Kharis came crashing back through another wall into the lab. As strong as the undead Egyptian was, Frankenstein's abomination was far stronger. With the mummy momentarily down, the monster turned its attention to Abby as it picked up a massive stone slab in an attempt to crush her as it threw it. Abby however dodged easily as it pressed its attack, she had no intention of trying to test her strength against it, it appeared to be more than powerful enough to even rend her limb from limb. As it swung one of its massive arms at her it smashed through one of the castle's primary support beams as the ceiling above them began to give way. With all the damage done to the surrounding walls the fortress' structural integrity had been severely compromised, it could take no more. Abby bolted out through the window she had came through earlier at the last possible second as the entire room collapsed. Both Frankenstein's creation and whatever monstrosities remained within were buried under several tons of flaming debris. Abby flew far from the palace as she watched it burn and eventually implode. She then quickly returned her attention to the reason why she had returned in the first place as she sniffed the air.

Not too far away the baron was fleeing as far and as fast as he could on foot from the chaos he had wrought, but as he rounded a corner on a forest path, he found Abby standing before him.

"You didn't think you would escape that easy did you?" She menaced.

"Get away from me!" He shouted as he turned to flee only to find her standing before him again thanks to her amazing speed.

"You're going to pay for what you've done, the blood of an innocent child is upon your hands." She told him as she slowly walked towards him.

"Save your self righteous platitudes, coming from you they mean nothing! How many have died at your hands? Hundreds? Thousands?" Victor retorted as he backed away from her.

"I kill to live, I kill people like you." She growled.

"And do you think that changes anything? If you possessed even a fraction of the morality you claim to you would simply sit upon that grassy knoll over there and wait for the sun to rise."

"You are a mad man."

"And you are nonetheless a monster."

"Shut up."

"What? Is the truth too difficult to bear? Do you not wish to acknowledge what you are?" Frankenstein accused as Abby snarled, "You call me mad, yet you ravage the countryside like a rabid dog, you are a hypocrite, nothing more!" He went on as he slipped his right hand behind him reaching for something.

"You had a choice, and you chose to be killer."

"And yet my atrocities pail in comparison to yours. Tell me little one, what made you decide to hunt the scum of the Earth? Never met a vampire with a conscience, perhaps it is because once you took the life of someone not so evil?"

"NO!"

"Yes, that's it isn't it? I spent a great deal of time studying vampires and the lore associated with them before I captured you. When you first turn your thoughts are erratic and animalistic. All that matters is the hunger and the need to satisfy it! And who was your first victim may I ask? Someone close to you I'd wager, someone who would have invited you back in? A neighbor, a friend…or was it your family?"

Abby had heard enough, she lunged forward with an inhuman roar only to be splashed in the face some kind of liquid. Her skin began to burn. Frankenstein had hit her with some form of acid. In her moment of distraction Victor attempted to thrust a piece of wood through her heart but she caught his arm. She then snapped it in two as he screamed in pain. With his other hand he then produced a cross but she grabbed the hand that wielded it and then forced him to his knees before her.

"The cross, it, it does not burn you? But that's impossible! How?"

"Maybe because on this night, God sees where the evil truly lies." She expounded.

With one swift swipe of her left hand, Abby ripped the front of Victor's face clean off. His sinus cavity and frontal lobe came off with it in a rather grisly display. He then fell over onto the ground.

At long last, after years of terrorizing the English countryside, Baron Frankenstein…was finally and truly dead.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at the pub, Esmeralda had tried her best to explain what had happened considering her distraught state of mind, the locals were now on their guard.

"I knew there was something about that stranger that didn't seem quite right." One of the townspeople said as they picked up Adrian's body and carried it out of the room.

"Esmeralda?" Tom said forlornly looking down at her while the crying woman continued to cradle her wee lass, "Esmeralda? We need to take her out of here, the undertaker will be here soon."

"Not quite yet." A voice said suddenly causing those still in the room to look up.

There stood Abby, who had silently slipped back into the room.

"Get away from us you monster!" Tom warned as he and the others present took a defensive position around Esmeralda armed with everything from guns to farm implements.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"Not as sorry as we are."

"I only want to help."

"You've helped enough."

Just then an overzealous patron charged forward with a wooden stake in hand, Abby however easily side stepped him, snatched it out of his hand and smacked him in the temple with the blunt end of it. He fell to the floor out cold.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm back at full strength now. If I wanted all of you dead you already would be, you know that by now."

"Your point?"

"Esmeralda's daughter is already dead, she stands to lose nothing by letting me try to help her."

"HOW! She's dead!"

"We'll see." Abby said lifting up a nap sack that she had brought with her.

"What is that?"

"The head of a gorgon. I salvaged it from the rubble of Frankenstein's castle."

"Frankenstein?" Tom said with surprise as everyone else present began chattering in a chorus of hushed voices.

"He was creating another monster, but something went wrong, he had me and several other creatures locked up in a dungeon for his experiments."

"What proof do you have of this?" One of the other villagers accused.

"Just a few miles outside of town, on the forest path that leads up to where his castle once was, you will find his body…what's left of it anyway." Abby answered.

"What is that thing again?" Tom asked.

"The head of a gorgon. Ancient mythological creature. Conflicting legends say that its blood can either heal or kill. It's time to find out which." Abby told her as she walked towards them.

"Why should I trust you?" Esmeralda finally spoke up as she lifted her head to look at Abby, her cheeks still moist and red with tears that refused to stop falling.

"Because you have nothing left to lose."

Esmeralda pondered Abby's words, and though she indeed had no reason to trust her, she also knew that she was right. She then reached up touching Tom's hand as he turned and looked down at her.

"Esmeralda no! You can't be serious?"

"If there's even the slightest chance…I have to. Without my daughter…I have no reason to live myself."

Tom exhaled deeply looking back and forth between Esmeralda and Abby, he then reluctantly nodded as he motioned for the men to step aside and allow Abby through.

"We warn you demon, any trickery and we will end you." Tom admonished her, but Abby ignored him.

With that Esmeralda laid Penelope's lifeless body down on the floor, Abby then held the still covered gorgon head over her letting its blood drip out of the open end of the bag and onto the child's body. For several moments, nothing happened, then suddenly there was a gasp from the young girl as Esmeralda watched in disbelief as her daughter's eyes slowly fluttered open.

Penelope then turned her head towards her mother from where she lay upon the floor.

"Mo-mommy?" She said with surprise as a very emotional Esmeralda scooped her up into her arms emitting happy sobs.

Everyone else present was in a state of shock, unsure how to react. Abby then slowly turned and began to leave.

"No wait!" Esmeralda called after her as Abby halted for a brief moment, "…thank you."

"Why?" Tom asked.

"Why what?" Abby replied.

"Why would you help her? Why would you even care? You are a vampire. You are evil…are you not?"

"I suppose I am…but I never asked to be." She said as she turned and looked back them before flying back up through the roof.

As she flew away Abby's thoughts dwelled on Frankenstein's words. Was he right? Was she just a monster, did anything she did matter? It haunted her. But for Abby there was no other choice, she was what she was and there was no way to undo it. Abby would go on, in the only way she knew how and could only pray that God could forgive her some day for her sins. With that she drifted off into the night and disappeared into the darkness.

The next night, Frankenstein's body was burned upon a funeral pyre, though the gesture was in no way meant to honor him. For a man who had supposedly died and had been laid to rest several times, the villagers were taking no chances, this time there would be nothing left. The local magistrate offered no objections and it was in fact his idea in the first place. The townsfolk in turn couldn't wait to rally behind it. There was no better fate for such a despicable man.

Watching quite some distance away from the onlookers was an outsider that was not a resident of Windsor. It was better that he did not reveal himself, if the locals saw him there would surely be a panic. He stood in a dark overcoat and hat that hid his features well.

But he wasn't the only one watching from the shadows.

"Come on out, I know you're back there." The man said not even looking over his shoulder.

With that, Abby walked out of the darkness to get a closer look at the man she had been spying on. She stared at him with both wonder and confusion that the stranger couldn't help but notice.

"Yes. I know. A startling resemblance, no?" He said to her.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lawrence Van Helsing."

"Why do you look just like Frankenstein?"

"Because we were twin brothers. I was once a Frankenstein, but after my brother sullied our family name with his morbid experiments I had my name changed to Van Helsing."

"Van Helsing?" Abby said with sudden concern, "I've heard of you, you're a vampire hunter."

"Indeed I am."

"Are you here for me?"

"I'm supposed to be. But clearly this wouldn't be a good place for either of us to draw attention to ourselves now would it?"

"No, it would not."

"I'm also here for the same reason I assume that you are, to make finally sure that the baron is dead once and for all. An ally and I had come here to deal with my brother initially, but after my comrade spoke to the barmaid of the Laughing Dragon tavern, it would seem that you did our job for us. And afterward you used some kind of black magic to bring a dead child back to life. My question is this…why?"

"Frankenstein was to blame for everything that happened, to them and to me. I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing."

"Indeed? That's very interesting, I've never met a vampire with a moral disposition before."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're a vampire. Vampires have no soul, no conscience, at least not any vampire that I've ever met. Could you please do something for me?"

"What?"

"Hold out your hand."

Abby seemed hesitant at first but eventually complied. Van Helsing than poured water from a metal flask upon her palm, after which his eyes grew wide with surprise.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I just poured holy water on you, and you showed no reaction whatsoever. A vampire who cares about what happens to innocent people who holy water does not affect? What else can you do?"

"Frankenstein tried to use a cross on me last night, but it didn't work."

"Are you serious? What else? Can you walk in daylight?"

"No, the sun still burns me, and I cannot enter a house without being invited first."

"Most peculiar, I've never met such a being as you before. Just what kind of creature are you?"

Abby then slowly turned away before speaking.

"I'm not a creature, I'm not anything…I'm nothing." She said floating away as Van Helsing watched her leave.

Just a few short moments later Van Helsing's ally arrived on the scene.

"Is that her?"

"Yes."

"And you're letting her escape?"

"Be silent! We don't want the villagers to catch wind of this. Calm yourself Captain, here would not be the place to engage her anyhow."

Standing next to Van Helsing in his trademark garb and cape, was Captain Kronos.

"If I would have arrived sooner I could have dispatched her quietly without drawing attention to ourselves."

"Are you so sure my friend?"

"Of course, she's just another vampire."

"Of that…I am not so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"She is special Captain, in what way I am not precisely sure, but deep down I can just feel it."

"Nonsense, I think you let her visage of innocence sway you."

"My hand was upon the scabbard of my sword Captain, I could've swung at a moment's notice if not for the villagers. But even if they were not here I don't think I would have."

"And why in God's name is that?"

"The moment I looked upon her I felt a strange presence, as if the hand of God himself had came down from heaven and touched me. Resting his almighty hand upon my shoulder, telling me not to strike."

"Surely you jest my comrade." Kronos suggested as Van Helsing turned his head.

"Do I look like I am joking to you? And for that matter when have my instincts ever been wrong?"

"But even if what you say is true, she's still a vampire, still a killer."

"Tell that to the woman whose daughter she saved. And more so, have you been keeping track of who she's been killing? Men that you yourself would waste no time running through if you encountered them."

"So what does it mean?"

"I don't know, perhaps God has a special destiny for her."

"Why would God make use of an abomination such as her?"

"The Lord works in mysterious ways Captain, and it is not our place to question his will. Something in my gut tells me that this vampire has an important future. And whether she realizes it herself or not, she will play her part in God's plan…just as we all do. Come Captain, there's nothing else for us here." Van Helsing finished as he and Captain Kronos slowly walked away and out of sight.

The town and the people of Windsor could rest easy this night, for the monsters and madmen that threatened them had been destroyed. But for little Abby there would be no true rest, for her very existence was a nightmare from which she could never wake.

END

Just to clarify for any hardcore Hammer fans that might be reading this. the Van Helsing who appears in this tale is the 1872 version from the prologue of 'Dracula 1972 A.D.', not the one from 'Horror Of Dracula'. The two films serve two different continuities.


End file.
